She's the Asian, modern version, of Josephine (Jo) March from the classical novel "little women." Josephine is an independent tomboy with dreams of financial freedom and eternal happiness for her friends & family. Hence, "Jochan".

25th mile: This sucks. Oh gawd, when is it over?? Stfu Fanny, stfu! F*** THE PAIN!!!!!

26th mile: tears are about to let loose. Must smile, must smile. (My pictures are eventually taken at the finish line. A picture of me crying at the finish line would SUCK). You’re almost there… DASH IT!!!

26.2 miles: I burst through the finish line gates and so do my tears.

Yes, I cried. I actually shed tears of joy when I finished the marathon. Dammit, 26.2 miles is no joke.

Like this:

In the beginning of August, I signed up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon. I was a click away from selecting the full marathon. Thank goodness I did not. Somehow, a sane part of my mind stopped me from signing up for an option that would potentially destroy my legs.

Last Sunday, I was able to successfully finish the half marathon with several friends. I am proud to inform you that I had the best time (amongst my peers, of course). However, I am also not very proud to announce that the moment I reached the half marathon finish line, I saw, to my left, finishers of the full marathon… finishing at the same time as I did! My face of triumph immediately disappeared when I saw those running machines dash ahead of me. At the moment, I vowed to become a better runner!

I have to admit that I sorely underestimated the half marathon. Before the race, I thought “I’ve ran multiple times before. I’m ready for this. Who cares if the most I’ve ever ran was 10 miles? Look these seniors around me… if they can do it, so can I!”

How silly of me.

In the beginning of the race, I felt confident, my legs felt great, and I was pumped! Even the weather was great! Nothing could stop me. Well, after 8 miles, I felt the exact opposite. I felt sluggish, my legs felt like jelly, and I was exhausted. Even the weather felt too hot! Although I felt this way, I never doubted that I could finish it under a good time.

I just wished that I trained harder. Instead of slacking off at the very last month, I should’ve amped my miles up. Next time, 26.2 miles! Here I come!

Also, most importantly, I give my blessing to the deceased runners’ families.